RealNetworks Casual Gamer Study 6/21/06 www.harrisinteractive.com
Introduction Objectives Methodology Executive Summary 2 2
Study Objectives RealNetworks is interested in learning more about consumers who play casual games. Specific objectives for this research include: Determine types of game play Determine sources of game play Determine location of game play Determine preferences of game play in relation to other activities Determine effects of game play on social network and relationship building RealNetworks commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct the research on their behalf in Spring, 2006. 3 3
Methodology Respondent Qualifications To qualify for this research, respondents had to meet the following criteria: Be a US resident Be aged 18 or over Play casual games* at least once a month General Information A survey was administered in May 2006. Data collection was conducted online There were 1,302 qualified respondents RealNetworks was not identified as the sponsor of this research Weighting Data is weighted to represent the Internet population *A casual game is defined as: A game that is simple and intuitive, with very few rules and no required tutorials. Casual games are usually categorized as non-violent and ultimately relaxing to play. It is a game that one should be able to jump into for ten minutes, be entertained and stop playing with no problems. The story line is not complex and there are no emotional ties. Digital puzzles, word games card games, board games, and classic arcade games are all classified as casual games. 4 4
Executive Summary Gaming Behavior The majority of respondents (84%) have played casual games on their computer at some point nearly two-thirds play a casual game at least once a month. Card and puzzle games are the most popular types of casual games. Most gamers consider themselves skilled at casual games. Women are more likely than men to consider themselves beginners/novices About half of the gaming sessions take 20-59 minutes. About a quarter take more than this and the other quarter take less. The most commonly cited reasons for playing casual games are for fun (80%), to pass time when I m bored (66%), to unwind/relax (64%), and for stress relief (53%). Four-fifths of casual gamers are also at least somewhat familiar with video games. Of these, nearly all (92%) have played a video game. Of those who play both casual games and video games, casual games are most often preferred. Children s Game Play About two-thirds of casual gamers with children have kids who play casual games. Three-quarters of parents of children who play casual games see educational benefits as a result. 5 5
Executive Summary Social Network Nearly all gamers know other people who play casual games as well. Half talk with other people about the games they play. One-third of casual gamers chat online with others while playing one-third of these people have made new friends through chatting. Interestingly, there are no significant differences based on gender with regard to the social side of casual gaming. Among those who play and prefer each site, they are very likely to have friends/colleagues who also use that site More than one-third of those who prefer RealArcade for their own gaming also have friends/colleagues who play games from RealArcade. 6 6
Detailed Findings 7 7
Activities Done on Computer The majority of respondents play games on their computer Send/Read em ail Play gam es that cam e w ith the com puter Use an Office product 73% Instant m essage 67% Play gam es online or dow nloaded gam es 66% Listen to m usic online 62% Edit photos 59% Burn a m usic CD 57% Watch a m ovie/dvd 47% Dow nload a digital m usic file 38% Create a photo slideshow 37% Play video gam es 33% Edit video 13% Record a TV show 4% None of these 1% Q410: Which of the following activities have you ever done on a computer? 84% 97% Base: All respondents n=2,752 8 8
Frequency of Playing 84% of respondents have played casual games on their computer 62% play at least once a month Never Less than once a month 1-3 times per month 1-3 times per w eek 4-6 times per w eek Every day Casual Games % of Respondents 16 22 13 16 15 19 84 Casual Games Frequency of Play Every day 4-6 times per week 1-3 times per week 1-3 times per month Less than once a month Never Under 40 10% 15% 22% 16% 26% 10% Males 40 and over 19% 15% 14% 9% 22% 22% Females Under 40 13% 14% 18% 20% 26% 9% 40 and over 30% 15% 13% 9% 13% 20% Males and females age 40 and over are more likely than younger males and females to never play casual games. They are also more likely to play casual games every day those in the 40+ age groups who do play casual games, play more often than those under 40. Video Games 46 24 10 9 6 5 54 Females age 40 and over are more likely than the other groups to play casual games every day. Never play Have played Q420: How often do you play the following types of games on a computer? Base: All respondents n=2,752 9 9
Types of Games Played Card games have universal appeal across gender and age Other types of games see some differences in appeal across demographics Card Puzzle Word Casino Arcade/Action 8% 10% 11% 22% 29% 39% 38% 41% 54% 88% Females are significantly more likely than males to play puzzle games (64% vs. 43%) and word games (52% vs. 25%). Females under 40 are particularly likely to play puzzle games compared to other groups (72%). Those age 60+ are significantly less likely to play word games than younger gamers (28%). Those under 40 (both males and females) are significantly more likely to play arcade/action games than those over 40. Women under 40 (91%) are more likely than men under 40 (81%) to play card games. Typically Played Favorite Type Board 4% 26% Women under 40 are significantly more likely to play board games (33%) than both men (23%) and women 40 (24%). Sports Other 2% 2% 6% 16% Men are significantly more likely to play sports games than women (20% vs. 13%). This difference is amplified when comparing men under 40 and women 40 and over (24% vs. 10%). 10 Q500: What type of casual games do you typically play? Q530: What is your favorite type of casual game to play? Base: Qualified respondents n=1,302 10
Gaming Habits Most gamers consider themselves skilled at casual games The bulk of gaming sessions last from 20 to 59 minutes Level of Casual Gamer (Self-Classified) Beginner/Novice Skilled 32% 61% Women are more likely than men to consider themselves beginners (36% vs. 27%). Men under 40 are less likely to consider themselves beginners than other groups. For fun To pass tim e w hen I'm bored Why do you play casual games? 66% 80% Expert 7% 11 11 RealArcade Yahoo MSN AOL GameHouse Pogo Shockwave Games on PC Length of Typical Session Less than 10 m inutes 10-19 m inutes 20-29 m inutes 30-59 m inutes 1-2 hours M ore than 2 hours 7% 8% 16% 23% 19% 27% Respondents Who Prefer Each Source (not necessarily the session length for each source) 12% 4% 4% 10% 0% 1% 0% 13% 8% 13% 19% 20% 28% 4% 9% 23% 19% 25% 16% 2% 22% 7% 3% 27% 21% 28% 32% 38% 12% 33% 50% 26% 19% 26% 21% 17% 21% 31% 33% 10% 21% 4% 8% 13% 16% 24% 5% 2% To unw ind/relax For stress relief To keep m y m ind sharp To beat a previous score To zone out To rejuvenate m yself To com pete w ith other players To connect w ith others Other 3% 6% 16% 13% 24% 28% 42% 53% 64% Women are significantly more likely than men to play casual games for stress relief (58% vs. 48%), to beat a previous score (32% vs. 23%), or to zone out (28% vs. 21%). Those age 50+ are significantly more likely to play casual games to keep their mind sharp than those under 50. Those age 60+ are significantly less likely to play for stress relief than those under 60. Those who prefer Pogo are significantly more likely to spend more than 2 hours playing in an average session than those who prefer Yahoo, MSN, or games included with the computer. Q600: What level of casual gamer would you consider yourself? Q605: Approximately how much time do you spend playing casual games in an average session? Q610: Why do you play casual games? Base: Qualified respondents n=1,302
Children s Game Play About two-thirds of casual gamers with children have kids who play casual games Three-quarters of parents of children who play casual games see educational benefits as a result Do your children play casual games on a computer? Do you see any educational benefits as a result? Yes, w e alw ays play together 4% 26% Yes, w e som etim es play together and they som etim es play on their ow n 32% Yes No 74% Yes, they alw ays play on their ow n 29% No, they do not play casual gam es on a com puter 35% 12 Q625: Do your children play casual games on a computer? Q630: Do you see any educational benefits as a result of your children playing casual games? Q625 Base: Has Children n=234 Q630 Base: Children play games n=172 12
Where Does Casual Gaming Rank Given an hour of free time, casual gaming is preferred over the majority of these activities, though it is preferred less than many traditional home entertainment activities (watching TV/movies, using the Internet, reading) % of Respondents I w ould rather do this activity than play a casual game I w ould rather play a casual game than do this activity Knitting Collecting (stamps, baseball cards, etc.) Hunting Fixing/Customizing automobiles Golfing Playing a musical instrument Doing household chores Doing crossw ord puzzles (on paper) Playing "Video Games" Gardening Talking on the phone Exercising Doing projects at home (e.g., building, painting, etc.) Cooking Reading the new spaper/magazines Reading books/novels Going to the movies at a theater Watching TV Using the Internet Watching movies at home 12 13 16 19 21 24 29 32 35 42 43 44 49 54 56 65 65 69 73 79 88 87 84 81 79 76 71 68 65 58 57 56 51 46 44 35 35 31 27 21 13 Q635: If you had an hour of free time, where would casual gaming rank among the following activities? Base: Qualified respondents n=1,302 13
Where Does Casual Gaming Rank Males Under 40 Males 40+ Females Under 40 Females 40+ Percentage That Prefer Casual Gaming Rather Than A B C D Knitting 94% C,D 95% C,D 82% 81% Collecting (stamps, baseball cards, etc.) 79% 86% 88% 94% A,B,C Hunting 67% 76% 93% A,B 97% A,B,C Fixing/Customizing automobiles 70% 67% 89% A,B 95% A,B,C Golfing 58% 72% A 88% A,B 95% A,B,C Playing a musical instrument 73% 83% C 65% 85% A,C Doing household chores 79% 68% 67% 69% Doing crossword puzzles (on paper) 75% 67% 64% 66% Playing "Video Games" 33% 76% B,C 62% B 86% A,B,C Gardening 70% B,D 53% 61% D 49% Talking on the phone 62% C 68% C 41% 60% C Exercising 46% 58% 52% 66% A,C Doing projects at home (e.g., building, painting, etc.) 46% 44% 52% 60% A,B Cooking 47% 47% 43% 47% Reading the newspaper/magazines 56% B,C 37% 39% 44% Reading books/novels 52% C,D 41% C,D 21% 28% Going to the movies at a theater 24% 48% A,C 17% 49% A,C W atching TV 30% 32% 25% 37% C Using the Internet 27% 22% 23% 35% B,C W atching movies at home 14% 25% A,C 10% 32% A,C Significance testing performed at the 95% confidence level. A letter next to a percentage indicates a significantly higher percentage. For example, a significantly higher percentage of males under 40 would prefer to play a casual game over knitting than females under 40 and females 40+. 14 Q635: If you had an hour of free time, where would casual gaming rank among the following activities? Base: Qualified respondents n=1,302 14